A critical look at Boebert’s “National Gun”
“An AR–15 style rifle chambered in a .223 Remington round or a 5.56x45mm NATO round is hereby declared to be the National Gun of the United States.”
The bolded quote above is the entire text of H.R. 1095, a bill introduced in Congress on Feb. 17 and cosponsored by our congresswoman, Lauren Boebert. One of her co-sponsors on the bill is none other than George Santos, the congressman who faked virtually every aspect of his life. Is this a cruel joke?
The AR-15 assault rifle Boebert wants to make our “National Gun” is a weapon of war. Its bullets are designed to tear human flesh to pieces by “yawing”, tumbling or fragmenting in the body, thereby causing maximum internal bleeding and tissue damage. I am a Vietnam War vet, and the M-16s we carried there were an offshoot of the AR-15. The Army always told us it was the best rifle in the world because of how efficiently it killed “the enemy”.
Recently, the AR-15 has been used in mass shootings in Texas and many other places. As we see almost nightly on TV, it has shredded the bodies of innumerable men, women, schoolchildren, and even babies. These innocent victims are not “the enemy”, Congresswoman Boebert, and our peace-loving nation does not need a “National Gun”.
Andy Wiessner, Snowmass
Tracer bullets, wildfires and the Second Amendment
The 2018 Lake Christine Fire near Basalt was the result of the adrenaline and testosterone rush of watching tracer bullets in fiery flight toward a target. Presumably, all gun owners have a set of parameters of when and where they will fire their weapons, be it target shooting, hunting, self-protection, vengence, armed robbery, murder/suicide, mental illness, or mass shooting.
It is this array of intentions and vagueries of the human heart that render “the right to bear arms” problematic. All of these are protected and unpreventable acts granted under the NRA’s interpretation of the Second Amendment.
How this ethic meshes with “the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” remains open to debate. The public is overwhelmingly in favor of regulations, and politicians are too timid to act.
Robert Porath, Boulder
It’s time to repeal the Second Amendment and put some common-sense gun safety/control laws into effect. Enough said, as my heart weeps for so many who have lost their lives because our government fails to take action.
Kathy Derrick, Denver
CdeBaca’s views on reparations are frightening
My goodness, with views like those of Denver City Councilmember Candi CdeBaca we should all run for cover. Her racist, progressive views on the distribution of wealth should have every hard-working person and business owner up in arms.
This country is built on the premise that if you work hard and succeed, you will reap the benefits of your labor, not work hard and have the city government take the benefits of your labor and give it to someone else, the ideas put forth by this socialist candidate are frightening.
Elaine Little, Denver
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